The title is one thing but I am also extremely grateful to receive funding to attend ISTE in San Diego, meet with our “blogging buddies” and help other local schools get involved in blogging and global collaboration. I hope this award will ultimately have an impact on the education of many students.

There was no time for public thank yous on the night but this individual award would not be possible without a great team of people around me!

2012 is the third year I have team taught with Kelly Jordan. This experience has been like no other professional development and the success we have achieved in our classrooms is definitely a team effort. Kelly deserves to be recognised as a big part of this award and I couldn’t have done it without her!

This is the ninth year I have worked at Leopold Primary School. I’m grateful for the way the staff have supported me since I was an inexperienced graduate teacher, and allowed me the freedom to try new things. The liberty and trust to innovate is a real gift for teachers who can sometimes feel bound by regulations and uniformity.

The students I work with make every day bright, interesting and rewarding. Seeing blog posts by former students such as BB, Rhiannonand Jarrod appear within hours of the news of my award is so touching. Within 24 hours of Kelly posting the results on our class blog, there have been nearly 30 comments from students and parents (on a weekend!). I’ve been lucky to be a part of the lives of many amazing students and families.

My professional learning network is a huge part of my career and my life. Every day I am learning something from the educators I have met through Twitter, blogs and conferences. The messages I have received on Twitter and Facebook have been truly overwhelming.

Finally, I am lucky to have such a supportive husband, family and friends who put up with me working my nights, weekends and holidays away! The line between teaching being my career and a hobby blurs even more every year…

Thank you!

32 Comment

Hi Kath,
Once again, congratulations on your well deserved win. Being a lucky member of your PLN, I am grateful for the ideas and advice you always happily share with other educators.
Friday’s award was clear recognition of that and may all the great experiences you have continue for a long time.

What an exciting night it was at table 43 at Crown on Friday! I am so happy I could be there with you, Nate and your family, it was a big thrill for all of us!

Thank you for mentioning me in this post. We are really lucky to be able to teach together and our students benefit from our combined efforts. It’s hard to describe to others, but the environment in 4KM and 4KJ (and in the past, 2KM and 2KJ) is really special. We’re like one big team, all working and learning together.

It will be strange teaching on my own while you’re in the USA! I know you’ll have an amazing time overseas, it is a great opportunity and I know you’ll make the most of it!

It’s fantastic that so many students and parents have commented on the class blog about your award in the past 24 hours. What a lovely group of kids we have!

Dear Kathleen
Big congratulations on your award and thank you for the mention here. The best part of having a PLN is how we are all able to grow as teachers by sharing projects and by bouncing ideas off each other. I feel lucky to have all of you in my PLN!

I’ll be excited to hear of your exploits when you and Linda attend ISTE in June. We will all be there with you both in spirit!

Congratulations! I could not be more proud of your achievement! Your dedication to children is extraordinary and your generosity and professionalism is remarkable. Even though we live on opposites sides of the world, I feel like we are colleagues working right next door. Lucky me!

Well done and along with your other fellow friends am so over the moon on this wonderful award.

Your passion is what drives BB and me wanting to learn from you and your amazing blogging pals you have around the globe.
Also ten out of ten too Miss Jordan as you both really have got a special way of teaching together which I truly find amazing.

I truly believe this is just the start of many more awards which are yet to come your way.

Have a wonderful time when you go to the USA and please say hello to Mrs Yollis and Mrs Hembree from me.

Congratulations Kathleen on a well deserved award. I can say I started my class blog based on the many tips you have shared and the enthusiasm you display in the abilities of your children. I remember one key moment of amazement for me when I read how your children tackle HTML coding with such ease. A fine educator brings out the best in everyone – both children and peers. Enjoy the accolades.

Thanks for your lovely comment. I feel the same way about other educators. For instance, Linda Yollis is the teacher who introduced her students (and me) to HTML code. She has taught me so much and, along with so many others, is a big part of this award!

Dear Kathleen,
Congratulations on receiving such a well deserved honor. I feel very fortunate to have you as a part of my PLN.

Thank you for your thoughtful mention as well. Even though I work in a very small school I feel like I work with an amazing group of colleagues, even if we aren’t in the same building or even on the same continent.

I hope you’ll have an amazing time at ISTE. I look forward to reading your tweets and posts!

Hi Kathleen. A well-deserved recognition of your enthusiasm and dedication to teaching our young people. That in itself is admirable,but beyond that you have been an inspiration and motivator to many educators around the world. Your generosity in sharing and encouraging others is something to be very proud of.

Hi Kathleen and Congratulations!
I know you must be very excited ,but I agree with all your other comments – the award is well deserved. Your influence spreads far and wide and there are many educators, students and parents who have learnt to blog using your online example, without you even being aware of it.
The staff and students at Queenscliff Primary are recent recipients of your generosity and have become confident bloggers because of your incredible ability to teach others.
We are thrilled with the support and professional development you have given so that we can create our own website blog.
Well done!
Jenny Cowburn

Wow! Congratulations! It’s really wonderful that you will be able to attend ISTE. I started blogging, tweeting, and building my PLN last year around this time and you were one of the first educators I followed. Thank you for setting a fine example to educators around the world!

Well done on a most deserved award. The thing that I notice is that you make everyone feel like they are a close friend, someone that you could go to and seek advice from. Your ability to achieve this is worth an award. You would be an amazing person to have on staff. As a member of your ever increasing followers I regularly check in for inspiration and updates. Just keep on being you, congratulations.